Down is light, thin and soft. Down products have been widely used in daily life, such as down jackets and quilts. The feathers (down samples) obtained directly from animals do not have the fluffiness that is require for down products and must be treated to obtain the fluffiness. Therefore, finding an efficient and clean process to treat down samples is important.
Basic zirconium sulfate is widely used in down processing. The protein fiber treated with basic zirconium sulfate has a significant increase in elasticity because the zirconium complex forms a tetramer with a hydroxyl group of down sample as a bridge. The tetramer will be aggregated into a larger molecular weight and more complex zirconium complex. The zirconium complex will form hydrogen bonds with the active amino group of the down sample, which will increase the intermolecular bond of the down sample and fluffiness. Basic zirconium sulfate has limited supply and is expensive. Therefore, it is very necessary to develop a new down treatment method that is efficient, clean, and cost-effective.